Night comes. Thunder booms. Rifts tear open the sky. The Nine Realms of Beyond have long converged, and the bitter Convergence Wars have long passed, but a fact remains true years later.

There will always be conflict. Always.

Ystveln, the City of Smoke, rests upon a crucible of fire. A hidden war of politics rages beneath its polished surface, decorated by poisoned daggers and bloodied hands. Enter Theodore Auric, aged thirteen, with all the lack of muscle to back it. A mere boy, standing among the standards of men.

A courier. A thief. A coward. A pawn. He is three of those, except one.

It is time to find out which.